Iowa’s 2026 governor’s race has turned to religion after reporting surfaced on the Des Moines church attended by Democratic candidate Rob Sand, prompting a sharp response from his Republican opponent’s campaign.
Sand, the Democratic nominee, is running against Republican Zach Lahn, a private school founder, farmer and businessman. Sand currently leads the race by an average of more than 8 points, according to RealClear Polling, and has campaigned as a centrist “governor for all” who says he is tired of culture-war fights.
Sand grew up Lutheran and now attends Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Des Moines, according to Iowa columnist Chuck Offenburger. The church describes itself on its website as an “LGBTQ+ Open & Affirming Congregation” and says it treats the Bible “seriously, not literally,” calling it a “beautiful and baffling book.”
A Long History of LGBTQ Advocacy
Plymouth Church adopted its “open and affirming” policy in 1993, making it one of the earliest congregations in the country to do so. The national Open and Affirming Coalition, of which such churches are part, recommends practices like offering pronoun buttons at services and displaying rainbow flags.
The church has taken an active public role in LGBTQ advocacy locally. In 2024, it helped lead the first ecumenical worship service staged at the Des Moines Pride Festival, according to a church job posting. In 2025, its pastors joined a demonstration at the Iowa statehouse described as an effort to “pray and stand up for our trans and gender nonconforming friends and neighbors.”
The congregation has hosted transgender pastor Rev. Paula Stone Williams, according to Offenburger’s column, and marks both Transgender Day of Remembrance and Transgender Day of Visibility on its social media accounts. It has also hosted drag performances, including a May 2025 concert by performer Flamy Grant, billed on the event page as a “celebration of authenticity and radical love,” and a “family friendly” drag event in February 2026.
Sex-Education Curriculum
Plymouth Church offers “Our Whole Lives” (OWL), a kindergarten-through-adult sexuality education curriculum jointly published by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ.
The program’s youngest tier, “Under Your Wing,” is designed for children ages 5 to 7 and introduces topics including gender identity. One recommended title, “Jack (Not Jackie),” is described in its synopsis this way: “An older sister is at first sad when her younger sibling who was assigned female at birth identifies as a boy. Parents support the child’s transition and eventually the older sister realizes she loves her brother.” Other recommended materials include books describing “bodies that have penises” and “bodies that have vulvas and vaginas,” along with a video that uses a teddy bear to explain LGBTQ-related topics to young children.
Abortion and Other Positions
The church has also publicly supported abortion access. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Plymouth Church voiced support for those organizing around what it called “reproductive care,” using the phrase “all who hold the potential to bear life” rather than the word “women,” according to the church’s statements. It held a prayer vigil in May 2022 tied to the issue and praised members who attended a rally at the Iowa statehouse in July 2023, based on the church’s social media posts.
Campaign Response
A spokesman for the Lahn campaign criticized Sand over the church’s programs in a statement to Breitbart News. “This is disturbing material, but it’s right in line with Rob Sand’s liberal views,” the spokesman said. “If you believe men can become women, then what’s to stop you from teaching it to schoolchildren? Values matter and Rob’s values are NOT Iowa values.”
Neither Sand’s campaign nor Plymouth Church had responded to requests for comment by the time of the original report.
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